Personal space…
…is about more than the few feet surrounding you. It’s an emotional thing, an intellectual zone where you can define and enrich your life. These days, it can be a challenge to feel allowed to take that kind of space for ourselves.
This is a program designed to overcome that challenge by cultivating your ability to speak up, step away, and make room for yourself. You will build community, practice boundaries, and learn to own your personal space.
how it works
Based on the concept that it takes 30 days to form a habit, the program takes place over a month to set and integrate boundaries in your work day, so that taking time for yourself becomes habitual. We’ll spend a week in person in the Hamptons, where programming takes place around a typical workday. You do not need to take time off work to attend, you need to tell your team you will be remote that week and offline before 9am EST, from 12:30-1:30pm EST, and after 7pm EST. We continue from there with 3 weeks virtually to practice this habit together. Meetings will still be based on work day structure, conscious of your at-home life, so that you can actually attend. The goal is for you to feel empowered to continue this habit on your own once the program ends, leading to better productivity and less burnout.
what you’ll do
For a week in October, you’ll find yourself in a beautiful home setting in the Hamptons. You’ll work remote during the week while programming takes place around a typical work day. We’ll have breakfast and yoga together in the morning and lunch from 12:30-1:30pm (the only challenge will be to not talk about work), and a recommended 15 minute break. Evenings will begin at 7pm. You’ll eat dinner as a group with topical discussion, then gather for expert workshops on topics like boundaries and people pleasing, burnout, mindfulness and meditation, and grounding exercises. Before bed, you’ll have unstructured time to hang by the fire pit, in the hot tub, journal, read a book or whatever you want.
We continue virtually for three weeks, and programming will transitioning each week from more time together to more time to yourself. Support will available whenever you need it, with office hours multiple times a day, and texting available all day. You’ll be assigned an accountability buddy, receive meditation prompts in the morning, come together for group lunches and discussions online, attend a few more expert workshops, and have individual check-ins. Weekends are for you to do your thing, except meditation prompts and a closing get together online on the final Sunday.
what you’ll take away
The goal of Personal Space is ultimately, after a month, you feel a sense of agency… solid in your ability to set and hold boundaries, and take time for yourself during your day when you need to. You’ll have a new community of contacts, including experts who gave you new knowledge to set you up for success, and a refreshed mindset on how to approach work/life balance.
about me
Hi, I’m Annie! I am a New Yorker and global citizen with a masters in journalism, more than a decade of experience in production and advertising, and a mission to leave the world a better place than I found it.
Over many years in the corporate media and ad world, I experienced time and again the lack of care for individual needs within a schedule. Workplace culture often demands vigilance around the clock, and I dove right in. At times I had a lot of fun, and I made great work, but my personal life suffered. I’d check email first thing after I opened my eyes, take lunch at my desk, answer work calls at dinner, cancel workouts, plans and vacations… the list goes on. I also knew I wasn’t alone in this.
Eventually, the illusion that work should take priority over everything led to such burnout that I had to make a change. I began by practicing boundaries in my life, and saw that balance is possible with good habits. I decided to create a program geared towards helping individuals feel empowered to set and hold boundaries and take time for themselves in their busy lives.
I believe we can all be productive in work and feel nurtured in our heart and soul. I hope you join me on this journey!
let’s chat
Here to answer all your questions!